The Ontario government is expected to make an announcement about reviewing ServiceOntario locations Monday morning
Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery Todd McCarthy will speak to reporters at 8:30 a.m. in Oakville. The news conference will be streamed live on CTVNewsToronto.ca and the CTV News app
The Canadian Press confirmed Sunday the government plans to move nine ServiceOntario outlets into Staples Canada stores(opens in a new tab). This move will be part of a broader push review of privately-owned, stand-alone ServiceOntario locations, they reported
Last week, Premier Doug Ford said the pilot program(opens in a new tab) with Staples Canada is all about convenience. (opens in a new tab)Government-run stores, Ford insisted, would not be touched in the process
“Not everyone can make it into one of the outlets from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.,” he said
“It’s pretty simple. It comes down to customer service.”
The government has said that putting ServiceOntario kiosks inside Staples retail stores will save taxpayers nearly a million dollars. However, few details have been released regarding where the savings will come from, how much it will be to retrofit the Staples Canada locations, and which ServiceOntario locations will be shuttered. Little information has also been provided as to why the government reportedly chose to sole source the deal
The changes have sparked criticism from opposition parties, with Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner calling for an auditor general report into the decision
Specifically, he is asking the auditor general to conduct a value-for-money audit on “the use of taxpayer dollars to upgrade Staples and Walmart locations, and the government’s agreement to pay 18 months of rent for the ServiceOntario location in downtown Toronto.”
The auditor general has yet to decide whether to investigate the matter
